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Martin Anton Schmid

Composer

Austria

Profile Overview

About

Martin Anton Schmid (* 1987 in Rum near Innsbruck) graduated 2012 in the study “Composition and music theory” at the Tyrolean Conservatory (Tiroler Landeskonservatorium) with honors and passed there two post-graduate years. 2011 he graduated in the study of “Comparative literature” at the Leopold-Franzens-University Innsbruck with the degree Mag. phil.

He currently is writing on his dissertation, entitled “Die Bestimmung von Akkordgrundtönen in unterschiedlichen harmonischen Kontexten” (= “Predicting chord roots in different harmonic contexts”) in the field “Music theory / Music analysis” (“Special field historical musicology, music theory and church music science”) at University for music and performing art. He currently also studies “Lehramt UF Musikerziehung und UF Instrumentalmusikerziehung“ (= “Teaching music and instrumental education”) with piano and singing at the University Mozarteum Salzburg (Universität Mozarteum Salzburg). Martin Anton Schmids oeuvre includes works symphonic orchestra, chamber music and solo literature. Stylistically Schmid writes on the one hand in a romantic tonal style, on the other hand freely tonal and modern with a trend to expanded tonality.

In 2010 he composed the more than 60-minute music to the movie “Julie” (large symphony orchestra), which was recorded under his direction in April 2010 by nearly 70 students of the University Mozarteum Salzburg, place Innsbruck and the Tyrolean Conservatory and in February 2011 the score got released as a CD. He also composed inter alia the work “Für die Mädels” for string orchestra, several solo works for piano and works for string quartet. 2012 he finished his first “Symphony”, which was premiered in May 2013 by the Universitätsorchester Innsbruck. 2015 he finished the multipart composition “Dignatio Tyrolis” on request of Landeshauptmann Günther Platter ordered by Land Tirol, which is played since 2015 until further notice annually several times as a film score and live as an opening music, 2016 he finished the music for the movie “Burnout”.

2012 he published his diploma thesis “Filmmusik als Bedeutungsträger” at the Akademikerverlag as well as his book “Formelbuch der Harmonielehre” at the Diplomica Verlag. Furthermore different compositions of Martin Anton Schmid got published – inter alia the volume “Collected Piano Works Vol. I“. Schmid takes part as lecturer at international congresses and held from 2010 to 2012 a tutorial for music theory at the Tyrolean Conservatory, where he teaches since 2013 different music theoretical subjects first as lecturer, meanwhile as Professor.

Videos

Sheets

Interview

What does music mean to you personally?

Music for me personally on the one hand is a way to express myself, my thoughts and
my view of the world in an artistic way, on the other hand a possibility to see things
from a different perspective that probably helps to widen the listeners horizon.

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

Certainly not. Music can be about fantasy, but also for instance about structure,
emotion and of course about reality. Sometimes music creates a connection between
fantasy and reality in a very emotional way.

If you were not a professional musician, what would you have been?

If I wouldn´t be a professional musician, I would be a physicist. Physics has the power
to explain things that sometimes seem to be inexplicable – this fascinates me. My
work as a composer often is strongly connected to find a way to explain things that
seem to be inexplicable.

The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about your future?

Well, I´m not sure if more and more older people are classical music audience – I
think that currently a strong generation in classical music rises and also young people
get interested in to classical music more and more. Probably because film music plays
an important role in the daily life of lots of people. But I think that classical music also
needs to find a connection to young people – it should try to be interesting for them,
in which way however.

What do you envision the role of classical music to be in the 21 century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role?

I think that classical music often tried to change the focus of the society it arose in.
This role still should be important for classical music. With todays stylistic pluralism it
sometimes seems to be hard to find an own way of musical expression, but the
present also offers lots of possibilities to make classical music. Classical music is art
and so I think it has the duty to try to make this world a better place.

When I say that classical music is searching for new ways or that the classical music is getting a new face, what would come to your mind?

In classical music artists often tried to be innovative and this also is valid for the
present. To change the society new ways of expression are necessary to show new
ways of living together. But a big danger here is to lose the connection to listeners –
in this context I try to find a way that seems to work for me.

Do you think that the classical musician today needs to be more creative? Whats the role of creativity in the musical process for you?

Classical music is a lot about creativity – classical musicians can bring a piece of music
to life. Their interpretation – as soloist as well as orchestra player for instance –
determines how a musical piece comes to life and so they usually can take a lot of
influence on the perception of a composition. For me creativity comes from different
inspirations – it can come from a an event that influenced me, it can come from
music itself and so on. But it´s often connected to sound. Creativity for me means to
create something unique that follows a special goal.

Do you think we musicians can do something to attract young generation into the classical music concerts? How will you proceed?

I do think that musicians can try to attract young people into classical music concerts
– especially with a modern repertoire, including new music as well as the
performance of film music and probably some interesting instrumentations like
Orchestra and E-Guitar and so on. I´m trying to reach a broad audience with my
music by trying to find a musical language that is both fascinating and to a certain
degree understandable.

Tell us about your creative process. Do you have your favorite piece (written by you)?
How did you start working on it?

My approaches to a new composition are very different – depending on the goal and
the structure of the piece. Very often I start with a musical concept, including
structure, main theme/s or probably a scale or chord. Before I start to compose I
usually spend a lot of time with this musical concept and – if there is a programmatic
background – I often have long periods of research. I do not really have a favourite
piece of my own – but the piece that confuses me most is my Symphony. It still
makes me thinking if it was the right or wrong way to compose this piece – it still
leaves a question in me.

We, Moving Classics TV, love the combination of classical music with different
disciplines: music and painting, music and cinematography, music and digital art,
music and poetry. What do you think about these combinations?

I already composed some film scores, so the combination music and cinematography
plays a big role for me – not least because I´m also a movie fan. Poetry for me plays a
big role regarding composing songs – I already set poems from for example Goethe,
Morgenstern and also by myself to music. Music and poetry seem to have a strong
connection – in some parts they follow similar principles. Basically music can be
strongly connected to other artistic disciplines – these connections contain numerous
possibilities to discover new artistic ways.

Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for
themselves?

Stay open to new forms of art and explore different things. One can find a lot of
emotion and satisfaction in classical music. Listen to different things and find your
own preferences. But take the time you need to listen to this kind of music – then
you have the possibility to experience it in a very deep way.

Now it is a common practice in the media to talk that the classical music is getting into the consumption business, do you agree? We are speaking about the supply and demand rules and how to sell your “product” in your case your compositions. How do
you see it?

Music and probably art by nature is connected to consumption. When we listen to
music, we always consume something in a special way. There is nothing bad in trying
to place music as a product on a market. But the market should not dominate the art,
the art should create the market. Otherwise it looses its credibility. To sell something
must not be the most important maxim in composing music. I´m trying to reach
people with my music, so I include their expectations in the composing process, but I
also try to express myself and to give my music some sort of special meaning. So as
an artist I try to find a way to make people listen to my music and then to find
something meaningful in it.

Do you have expectations what regards your listeners, your audience?

I hope to fascinate and to reach them emotionally so that they probably can have the
same deep experience with my music by listening it as I have by creating it.

What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?

I´m composing an orchestra piece regarding the topic utopia and I´m working on a
Requiem – so the work on orchestra pieces dominates my current artistic processes.
But I often compose piano music because I love doing that. And maybe in the next
years some of my friends and me will shoot another movie to which I will compose
the score.

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MOVING CLASSICS TV is a popular curated discovery channel for new piano music. It gives visitors a valuable inside view of new piano music with contemporary emotions. The channel has been founded by a team of music lovers from Munich in 2017.

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